Watcher Under The Waves
Identities Great Dark One, Old Salt/Shark/Wrath, Keeper of the Lost, He Who Waits, Storm Lord, Master of the Winds, The Deep Dark King. Spheres Of Influence Ocean, Weather, Secrets, Luck and Good Fortune, Travel, Madness, Sailing. Symbol A maelstrom with an eye at its center. Places of Worship Shrines to the Watcher are simple affairs. Mostly found on cliffs overlooking the ocean or upon beaches, they are usually simple granite blocks arranged into crude monuments, and scattered with offerings left by either sailors or their partners. There is no formalised religion or hierarchy. Small impromptu shrines are sometimes found at sea - on small rock outcrops along the coastline or at reefs, stacks of smooth black stones are often made, in offering - usually for a safe return, or in mourning for one who is lost. Phrases May the waves watch over you.' 'Let him keep them safe amongst his secrets.' 'Those who swim in darkness will have their guide.' 'By the luck of the Salt.' 'Let Him who waits, wait a little longer for me.' 'The King is angry. Best be praying.' (Said upon spotting a storm while at sea.) 'Let him send the wind, but stay his wrath. Lore The watcher of the waves is, strictly speaking, not an organized religion in any sense in Thessir. It has no church and no hierarchy of faith, but with that said, it is still followed by a large and substantial number of people. No sailor of the realms that know of the watcher take to the water without paying heed to his will. And there are few, if any sailors who would dare take to sea with a fellow sailor who refused to follow or acknowledge his majesty. The Watcher is unique in the observed followings of the gods in Thessir and Wildebourne in particular, as it is not one adapted from the Elven concept of the Aspects, but still has a derivative in its nature. The Watcher is born instead out of sailor superstition, and as such, it is followed with exceptional strength on the coastal cities. It is also extremely widespread as a result, and possibly, while it may have less followers than other faiths, is the most commonly found around the continent. As sailors travel to different lands on the continent, the faith, or superstition, has followed with them, and as such, there are few who live upon the coast who do not know of the Watcher. He is invoked in curses, in the prayers of travellers on the ocean. Many a rowdy seaside tavern can be heard making a loud and raucous song to the Watcher, and sometimes, just sometimes, with a hint of sorrow or drunken blubbering. For the Watcher is also the Keeper of the Lost and the Drowned. Those who are at lost at sea are his subjects, the sunken army of the Deep Dark King. Sailors make jokes on the subject, but always with a note of respect, and most indeed, live their lives under the knowledge that one day, the Watcher Under the Waves will bring them home to him. In truth, it is for many of them an accepted way of life. In the Elven following of the Aspects and the Way of the Aspects, the ocean was the dangerous unknown. It denoted secrets and the risk in uncovering them, and the value in letting them remain hidden. It was the path of dark knowledge and truths left unspoken, and the understanding that some things were better left never known at all. Parts of this creed made it into Human superstition regarding the ocean, but it leans towards the greater part of superstition rather than an organized faith. With that said, there are still individuals who call themselves clerics of the Watcher. Most of this is around the chaotic, tumultuous nature of weather, and the dark dangers of the ocean. Calling on the strength of the storm, followers of the Watcher are often sailors themselves, who witnessed or experienced something that solidified their faith. Some are those who survived a storm when all others on their ship were lost. Others are those that simply experienced a powerful epiphany. In any case, these priests of the waves are wanderers, and nomads, who are welcome at seaside inns and upon ships, though they are treated with an air of superstition by some and outright fear by others they encounter. But they are respected nevertheless - as no one wishes to incur the wrath of a follower of the Storm Lord, particularly not before a journey. As such, if any captain is asked for passage by a Wave priest, they will never refuse - lest their entire crew, if they find out about it, suddenly jump ship. The superstition of sailors is, after all, nothing to be sneezed at, and a wise captain respects it in kind. Another peculiarity of the Watcher and sailors is the belief that all ships that go upon the sea are brides of the Watcher, and as such, most ships are referred to as 'She' by those who sail upon them. Sea captains have a strange relationship with their ships, as a result - they are custodians of the bride, and their guardian. But, they sail knowing that a day may come when the Deep Dark One may indeed call his bride home - and everyone who sails upon her as well. They tend to form close relationships with their vessels as a result, maintaining them with care and treating them with the same affection one might treat a lover, while knowing that one day their husband to be will set his eye upon them, and indeed, may rise up in wrath or hunger. This is a fate that while acknowledged, the captain is obliged to fight against - for indeed, the Watcher might not be ready to treat his wife with the respect she deserves! But it gives those who sail a scant comfort and faith amidst the fear - that if they are taken by the sea, that the sea will be grateful for their duty and show them mercy. They also know that those who incur his wrath will be food for the sharks - and so, they make their gestures and their prayers, their offerings and their observations, which can vary from city to city, ship to ship and sailor to sailor. Ships that have reached their end, either due to damage or other reason, are usually scuttled at sea. They are towed or sailed to the deeps and sunk by those who sailed upon it, or by other sailors, who toast its sinking as it goes down, as they send the Watcher a new bride. If a ship loses its captain and no successor is named, either his crew, or a volunteering of older, veteran and usually retired sailors will do it on his behalf. For no one would dare deny the Watcher his wife, and woe betide the sailor who does. Followers of the Watcher of the Waves are found wherever civilization meets the sea, and on any ship upon it. The devotion of such individuals can indeed vary greatly, from night fanaticism to only vestigial, depending mostly on the sailor in question. It is more a superstition than a formalized religion, but the fact that the clerics of the Watcher exist denotes that it may become more prominent. Pirates and other free state inhabitants who make little to no religious observations otherwise nevertheless make strong observations to the Watcher, and most of these 'ceremonies' involve alcohol and sea, with the celebrations sometimes growing so rowdy and drunken that it is not unknown for some to flail into the embrace of the ocean, for the Deep Dark One to rise up and claim, bringing them home to the rest of that sailors waiting mates, who have, like so many others, been waiting for them to come home. Category:Wildebourne Vale Category:Church Of The Deep Category:Deities Category:Oceans (Aspect)